espresso

hey. so i started to develop an espresso for competition next year. i roasted some on the sample roaster last monday and i had the opportunity to try them out in the lab myself yesterday. i chose to work with a pulp natural sumatra that is very highly sorted. of course there are some natural defects in the coffee because of the nature of coffee harvesting in sumatra however it is a pretty high grade of coffee.
i did about 6 batches myself in the sample roaster to try out different temps,etc. etc.
i ended up with some scorched ends in a couple of batches. but i was able to get some great espresso from one batch that tasted alot like a kenyan espresso and had crema that just would NOT quit.
overall, very exciting and i think that one of the roasters at the roastery is going to get some going for me this week at some point so that i will have something to play around with.
my idea is to have two SO espressos at competition. one for straight espressos, one for cappys and be able to combine the two into a signature beverage. the idea of skimming the espresso in the sig drinks has been tossed around as well. to highlight the transformative effects of skimming and being able to to it consistently.
if you get a chance, check out the new issue of barista mag. my co-worker matt is in the "tools baristas love" story.